


Childhood Sweethearts

by ImaginationStation518



Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: Chapter 1 takes place in Series 2, F/M, I have no idea whether I'll write more chapters or not, I just noticed a lack of Finn Shelby content honestly, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Out of Character, probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:42:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22390480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImaginationStation518/pseuds/ImaginationStation518
Summary: Growing up in the city of Birmingham (in Small Heath, specifically), you were no stranger to the Peaky Blinders and you were no stranger to the Shelby family either. You were never really interested in any of the Shelby boys, since most of them were much older, but there was one Shelby brother who was your age, and that was Finn Shelby.As the years passed, you knew that he would be quite handsome when he got older, and he’d probably have ladies all over him, just like his brothers, but you'd never expected him to bethathandsome.
Relationships: Finn Shelby/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Childhood Sweethearts

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing for the Peaky Blinders and I also have only watched up to series two, and I'm only part of the way through, so please excuse anything that may be out of character or anything that doesn't follow how things went canonically. But I mean, this isn't really supposed to fully follow canon, but I did try a little. And the chapter title is soooo original, I know.

Growing up in the city of Birmingham (in Small Heath, specifically), you were no stranger to the Peaky Blinders and you were no stranger to the Shelby family either. Small Heath was one of those places where everyone pretty much knew everyone, so you had your fair share of encounters with the Shelbys. You were never really interested in any of the Shelby boys, since most of them were much older, but there was one Shelby brother who was your age, and that was Finn Shelby. You didn’t really pay much attention to him while you were growing up, preferring to play with the other girls in your neighborhood, but you always seemed to notice him in passing. You didn’t really find yourself focusing on Finn until you were both about 11 years old. There was a lot going on in Birmingham at that time, with the new copper in town and the Shelbys going to war with the Lee family, then there was trouble involving Billy Kimber. The Shelby family and the Peaky Blinder fellows seemed to be very busy, leaving little Finn with not much to do, and that was when the two of you finally had the chance to officially meet. 

Whenever his brothers were busy and he had nothing to do, Finn would find you and the two of you would find other children to play with, although he always had to go home earlier than the rest of you, to make sure he wouldn’t get in trouble for being out too late. 

After the new copper left and after the trouble Tommy Shelby had gotten into with Billy Kimber was taken care of, everyone’s lives seemed to go back to normal, which meant that you and Finn wouldn’t get to play as often. It made you sad, but you knew that whatever job he had to do was important. Even though a lot of people saw the Peaky Blinders and the Shelbys as bad men, you never saw them in that light. In your mind, they protected the city and they wanted to help the city grow.

As the years passed, you and Finn slowly grew apart. He had a job to do, working with the company his brothers built, and you didn’t have time to play anymore. But even if you’d wanted to, you were too old for the childish games you used to play. So you sat back and watched, going back to simple greetings in passing. You missed the times that you were able to spend with your friend, but you knew that he was far too busy to make time for such trivial things. Or so you thought.

After the famous Garrison pub exploded from what was said to be a gas leak, (“gas and electric don’t mix”) the owner of the pub, Arthur Shelby, decided to give it a sort of upgrade when it was rebuilt, turning it into a more lavish establishment, although the patrons remained the same. The night of the pub’s grand reopening, practically everyone was invited to celebrate, and your friends decided that you needed to go. It didn’t matter to them that you were only 13, they simply didn’t want you to miss out on the party. So that night, you got dressed up for the party and met your friends outside the small house that you lived in with your mother, who couldn’t have cared less what you were doing. When you all arrived at the pub, you were dazzled by what you saw. The extravagant interior, the loud, upbeat music, the sea of bodies bobbing and weaving to the music that was floating through the air; everything. You found yourself simply standing in the door in awe before one of your friends grabbed your arm and pulled you along through the crowds, bringing you to a table where you could sit down while another one of your friends went to order drinks for everyone.

Once you had the chance to sit down, you began to look around, observing the people who were dancing around the room with their drinks in their hands, looking at the people who sat on the barstools and watching as Arthur served his patrons with a grin on his face. While your eyes scanned over the faces in the room, they fell upon the one person who you hadn’t expected to see. All the way across, in the little private room that was reserved only for the Shelbys and the people they have their meetings with, you spotted the face of one Finn Shelby. The moment your eyes fell upon his face, your heart stopped and you felt your face grow warm with a light blush. Finn wasn’t looking at you, thank God, but there was a small part of you that wished he would. Being a Shelby, you knew that he would be quite handsome when he got older, and he’d probably have ladies all over him, just like his brothers, but you never expected him to be _that_ handsome.

After Finn had caught your eye, you couldn’t seem to be able to shift your gaze from him and you found yourself staring, as if you were trying to memorize the features of his face from afar. You were only able to tear yourself away when your friend returned with the drinks, carrying so many at once, you had to help her get them all on the table. Luckily for you, all she got for you was mild, which meant that you wouldn’t be getting piss drunk like the rest of your friends probably would. You took your glass from the table and took a sip of your drink, humming as you slowly turned your gaze back to the last place that you saw Finn, and you resumed your silent staring while you nodded and absent-mindedly responded to your friends’ chatter with “yep” and “mhm.” 

You found yourself staring and drinking for quite a while, and before you knew it, your glass was empty. Deciding that you wanted another drink, you excused yourself from the table and made your way up to the bar, bobbing and weaving through the crowd of people. As you approached the bar, Arthur lifted a brow when he caught sight of you and he laughed.

“Ain’t you a bit young to be in a pub?” The man asked, eyeing the glass in your hand a bit suspiciously.

“Aye, I usually wouldn’t find myself in a place like this until I was much older, but my friends wanted me to come and enjoy the celebration of the grand reopening of the Garrison. I’ll have another dark mild, by the way.”

Arthur snorted quietly and took the glass, taking his time with refilling it as he glanced over to the side, although you kept your eyes forward. It wasn’t until you felt the warm breath on the back of your neck that you moved, turning your head a bit to see who it was that was breathing down your neck.

“You’ve been staring at me since you walked in. What, you thought I wouldn’t notice?” It was the voice of Finn Shelby that you heard in your ear, and you were startled when he spoke, making him and Arthur chuckle.

You turned around and hit him on the shoulder, huffing. “Finn Shelby, you absolute bastard! You nearly scared me half to death, breathing down my neck like that!”

The boy chuckled again and he grinned at you, leaning against the bar as he not-so-subtly looked you up and down. “What, I’m not allowed to play a little joke on my friend? C’mon (y/n), it’s been ages!”

You chuckled at that and nodded, smiling softly. “Aye, that it has. And look at you! You’ve grown!”

“So have you! You’re finally started to look like a girl!”

“Oi, you can fuck right off! Coming from the boy who sounded like a girl until he hit puberty!” You replied defensively before the both of you burst into a fit of laughter as Arthur placed your refilled glass on the bar in front of you.

“Here you go, darling,” he said, giving Finn a wink, which made his face grow warm and a soft pink spread across his cheeks.

Once you had your drink, Finn gave you an odd look before you told him what you were drinking and he nodded. “It’s a shame we can’t drink anything stronger.”

“That’s your opinion. I’m fine with mild,” you chuckled, rolling your eyes at Finn. “So, I’m guessing that you’re here to celebrate the reopening of your brother’s pub?” Finn nodded and placed a hand on your back, wanting to lead you away from the bar, but you stopped him before you got too far. “Wait, I’m here with some friends…”

“Then tell them you’re going to be coming with me. C’mon (y/n), it’s been ages! We have a lot of catching up to do!” The boy exclaimed, giving you puppy dog eyes, which made you roll your own.

“Fine. But you’re walking me home,” you said to him, bringing a triumphant smile to his face as he nodded excitedly. You made your way back over to your table and you could already feel their prying eyes on you before you even got there.

“Was that one of the Shelby boys?” One asked, giving you a bug-eyed look.

“ _Yes_ , okay? We’ve been friends ever since we were kids. But we haven’t seen each other in a while, so he wants to catch up, alright? I’m gonna go with Finn so we can catch up and he’ll walk me home after, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Are you serious? Those boys are dangerous, (y/n)! You shouldn’t get yourself involved with them,” another friend said, giving you a look of disapproval.

“Finn isn’t dangerous, he’s sweet. Sure, he does boxing with his mates, but it’s not like he carries a bloody gun, like his brothers. I’ll be fine,” you reassured them, smiling softly.

“Alright, just be safe.”

You nodded in response and turned back to see Finn already in the back room again, watching you and waiting. You made your way back across the room over to the private room that the Shelby boys sat in, and you felt all eyes on you as soon as you entered.

“So this is the girl our Finn has been talking about?” His brother John asked, making Finn blush.

“Shut up! We’re only friends!” He exclaimed, giving John an almost pouting look, which only earned a chuckle in response.

“It’s alright, Finn. I think it’s nice that you’ve talked about me, and that your brothers listen. My mum doesn’t even really listen to me anymore. I could say almost anything and she wouldn’t care,” you snorted, going and taking a seat next to Finn. “Y’know, when we were kids, she used to scold me for going out and playing with you, and some days I’d even get punished for it. Now, she only cares when I supposedly talk back. So I just keep to myself. My friends are just girls who live nearby, really. But anyway, what’s new with you?”

Finn looked at you with a bit of shock, opening his mouth to say something, then closing it immediately after, thinking about his words. “You used to get in trouble for playing with me?”

“Hm? Yeah, cos’ you’re a Shelby. But it didn’t matter to me, really. You’re a good friend and I enjoyed spending time with you,” you replied with a shrug as Finn frowned.

“I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be sorry, mate. It happens. Honestly, some days, I think my mum is a little absent, if you know what I mean.”

He hummed and nodded, taking a sip of his own drink, making you decide to do the same just a moment after.

“Um...you asked about me, right?” You nodded. “Well, I’m uh...I’m learning to fight. I do boxing in the same ring as Arthur. Um...John had another baby a couple years back. I swear, he needs to learn to use a bloody condom.”

“Oi, I’m right here!” John protested, reaching over to smack Finn upside the head, making both of you laugh. “Not my bloody fault that Esme-”

“No! I don’t want to hear about your sex life!” Finn yelled, covering his ears, which made John laugh then, and it made you laugh harder. You didn’t notice, but as you were laughing, Finn simply watched you, smiling at you like you were his whole world, and when you were able to pull yourself together, his gaze turned to his drink.

“You know, Finn, I haven’t laughed like that in a long time. I’ve really missed getting to talk to you,” you said, grinning happily at him. 

You and Finn spent the rest of the night talking and drinking, though halfway through, you both decided to switch to water. You both enjoyed your time getting to talk to one another and the more you talked, the more you found yourself really looking over the features of his face. You were able to blame the light blush that occasionally appeared on your cheeks to the heat of the room from all the people in the building, but the real reason you were blushing was because everytime he brushed against you, you could feel sparks shooting through your body. But you knew that nothing would ever happen between you two, because, as Finn said, you’re just friends. Even though that thought broke your heart.

Over the next few months, you and Finn began to spend more time together, rekindling the friendship that you had as kids. He gave you a way to vent about your mother when you needed someone to vent to and he really listened, and that made you happy. You hadn’t realized it, but over time, yours and Finn’s meeting places began to become more and more public, until he told you to meet him at a tea house. You didn’t mind at all though, since he had promised to pay for everything. 

When you arrived at the tea house, Finn was already at a table, waiting for you. You could tell that he was a little more dressed up than usual, but you chalked it up to him having to go to a family meeting or something. What you didn’t know was that he spent a long time getting ready to meet you for tea. When he spotted you, he immediately stood up, beckoning you over to the table. When you went to sit down, he pulled the chair out for you and smiled at you, even though you gave him a strange look. After pushing your chair in for you, he returned to his seat and offered you a biscuit and some sandwiches, which you happily took.

“So, why are we here instead of your house today?” You asked, taking a bite of the biscuit in your hand as the boy shrugged.

“Dunno, I guess I just felt like going somewhere new. Why, are you uncomfortable?”

You shook your head and smiled, blushing slightly. “It’s quite nice, actually. But why are you acting so odd? You never pull out my chairs for me.”

“I just felt like it, is all,” he replied with another shrug, making you feel suspicious of his actions. It took you a moment to realize what Finn’s intentions were, and the moment that you realized, your eyes widened and you grinned at him. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

“Finn Shelby! Are you flirting with me?! Oh my god, this is a date, isn’t it?!” You exclaimed, grinning even wider. 

As soon as you exclaimed those words, Finn’s face took on a shade of red that you don’t think you’d ever seen before and he began stammering, trying to explain himself, and you could only giggle in response. It took a moment for Finn to recollect himself from his own embarrassment before he could finally speak proper words. “I- um...it might be. I mean- what does it matter? W-would you...would you be upset if it was?” He asked sheepishly, slowly looking from his hands to your beaming face.

“Absolutely...not! I’ve honestly been hoping that maybe you would ask me out at some point, but I had so many doubts because of what you said that night…”

“‘That night’?” He tilted his head, confused by your words.

“The night of the Garrison’s reopening. When you brought me to sit with you, and John mentioned how you talked about me a lot, and you told him we were just friends,” you replied, trailing off with a sad smile.

“I was only saying that to get him off my back, (y/n). I...I’ve actually liked you for quite a while,” he murmured, and then it was your turn to tilt your head.

“How long, Finn?”

“Um...since we were kids, I think.”

When Finn’s words finally registered in your brain, your eyes widened and you just stared at him in shock. You didn’t really know how to respond, but you knew that the warmth that spread through your body was from the happiness that radiated from the smile that slowly spread across your face. Seeing the smile on your face sent a wave of relief over Finn and it was visible on his face, making you both giggle.

“I think I’ve felt that way since we were kids too,” you replied, biting your lip slightly. “I can’t believe it took us this long...”

“I think it was because we were afraid of being rejected,” Finn chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “So...tea?”

You nodded in response as Finn waved to get the attention of one of the staff, requesting two cups of tea for the both of you, making you blush a little at the thought that you were finally on a date with Finn Shelby. You were sure there would be plenty of girls in the city who’d be jealous, but you didn’t really care, because at that moment, you could confirm to yourself that Finn was yours.

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you liked this story! I have some more chapters in store for you guys, but I would love some feedback as well! Future chapters may contain smut, just a little warning, and some of it may be while they're still underage (about 16, so they're past the age of consent for England at that time). I'll add trigger warnings in the beginning notes for sensitive content, like abuse and smut, though. Just for those who don't feel comfortable reading that stuff.


End file.
